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About 500 plush dogs and cats are spread out with help from Lackawanna County Sheriff’s Department Cpl. Corey Cavalieri on Thursday at the Aaron Center in Dickson City, with more stuffed animals to be donated in the next few weeks.
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The Scranton School Board appears to be moving ahead with a plan to increase revenue by selling advertising space and possibly selling the naming rights to the field at Scranton Memorial Stadium.

The push for added income comes as the district looks to offset a potential deficit of $3.8 million or more in 2015.

Justin MacGregor, the district’s community relations liaison, already reached out to 50 area businesses about advertising, he told the public relations committee Monday afternoon.

Based on the eight existing signs at the stadium, he said the district could see $50,000 of yearly revenue. He said that number could double if additional signs are added.

“A lot of businesses have shown interest and gotten back to me,” he said.

Mr. MacGregor also suggested the option of selling naming rights to the field. Williamsport Area School District sold the naming rights to its sports stadium for $500,000 for a 15-year term, he said. The larger Scranton School District field could fetch a better price. More than 2 million cars pass Memorial Stadium on Providence Road each year, he said.

“I think in these tough times we need to think outside the box,” he said.

Directors emphasized that the Memorial Stadium name will remain. The naming rights will be for the field itself.

The money from the advertising could cover the more than $400,000 the district just spent to install a turf field, director Cy Douaihy said.

“These are strange times,” he said. “We have to find revenue anywhere we can.”

The 2014 budget of $126 million relied heavily on one-time revenue sources and borrowed money. Facing a large deficit next year, the district may be forced to raise taxes or furlough teachers and cut programs.

In a 5-4 vote in June, the board agreed to apply for several exceptions, which will give the board the option to raise taxes by up to 7 percent, or $88 for a home with the average assessment. Without the exceptions, the board can vote to raise taxes by up to 3.1 percent, or $39 for the average assessed home. If the state approves the exceptions, the board is not required to raise taxes but has the option to do so.

Also at Monday’s meeting, Joseph Gilhooley offered to take on the advertising project, citing his connections and experience.

“I think I can bring something a school district employee can’t, and that’s contacts,” he said.

Director Kathleen McGuigan said she wanted to give Mr. MacGregor a shot, referencing his successful work with the inaugural Scranton Half Marathon. Mr. Douaihy said contracting with Mr. Gilhooley was a decision the full board, not just the committee, needed to make.

Earlier this year, the district requested proposals from advertising companies to sell space, but it received none. Mr. Gilhooley said he had not submitted a proposal because he knows most of the board members and did not want his selection to appear political.

After the meeting, Mr. MacGregor said one company, which he declined to name pending the final contract, had already signed on for $13,000 worth of advertising at the stadium.

Contact the writer:

rbrown@timesshamrock.com, @rbrownTT on Twitter

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